SALISBURY — The Salisbury Symphony was awarded the Spark the Arts grant from the North Carolina Arts Council in late September. The grant is intended to help artistic organizations who are working to either get an audience engaged or reengaged with their art program.

Hunter Safrit, the executive director, said that the symphony plans to use the grant to assist them in their search for a new music director. Currently, the symphony has five candidates vying for the position, and each one of them will get a chance to conduct a concert.

Safrit said that the concerts are meant to be more than simple job interviews, they were also a way for the symphony to show off different perspectives and musical talents, which is why it qualified for the grant.

“It’s a really difficult grant to get, so we’re really excited and we’re really grateful to receive it,” said Safrit.

Safrit also said that the grant was something that the organization has been working to receive for a long time. The announcement from the symphony called it “a testament to our unwavering commitment to infuse fresh perspectives and invigorating energies.”

The criteria that N.C. Arts Council used in determining who would receive the grants included the artistic and cultural value of the program; the benefit of the program for the audience, participants and the broader community and the relevance to any audience engagement goals; the involvement of artists and community partners; and the feasibility of the project and the organizational ability to make the project a reality.

The Salisbury Symphony did not announce how much the grant will pay out, but the Arts Council lists the grant money as anywhere in between $3,000 and $30,000.

The candidates were previously announced by the symphony as Kelly Corcoran, Peter Askim, Michelle DiRusso, Kalena Bovell and Daniel Wiley. Askim performed his concert in early September and Safrit said the rest of the candidates will perform between January and May of 2024. The grant will be used to fully pay for their living and travel expenses, including food and housing costs. The symphony hopes to make a decision on the position by their dinner with the group’s donors on June 22, 2024.